In the election of a century from now, legislative reformists promoting The New Society take over the government. They are convinced that the brain directs the mind, that it is hardwired, that genetics creates the foundation of this wiring, and that the tuning-up process involves a delicate exchange between environment and brain biology.

Imagine now that headway has been made in the many ways that biological mistakes can be corrected or counterbalanced so that the brain operates according to the biology now known to underlie “mainstream” morality.

But during their campaign, our future legislators are questioned hard about time-honored notions of free will, individual responsibility, and the ability of human beings to change their behavior just by learning and accepting basic precepts of social morality. The reformists face the fact that the public's supposedly sophisticated understanding of brain science did not discard the notion that our species basically has control over its thoughts and intentions and, therefore, should be held individually responsible for immoral and illegal actions.

Despite that difficulty, the reformist candidates manage to convince most voters that they understand such concerns but are on top of the scientific knowledge about the brain.